"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors" –Terry Pratchett

Beer & Chocolate: Celebrating a one year engagemaversary

Today is Jamie and my one year engagement anniversary- or engagemaversary, as I like to call it. One year ago today, we celebrated our Valentine’s Day one day early with a treasure hunt around town. At the end of it, Jamie proposed, and I said yes. So, to celebrate our engagemaversary, I am sharing with you a fun event that we had the night before we got engaged.

For my birthday last year, Jamie put together an elaborate evening combining two of my favorite things: chocolate and beer. Below is a list of Jamie’s carefully crafted and exquisite pairings that we tasted that night with Cindy and Lisa, along with our collective notes.

I highly recommend this. It is pretty amazing.

One half of a pairing

The other half of a pairing (image by brookelynn23, from Flickr)

Jamie found all of these chocolates and beers at Whole Foods last year, which would hopefully still carry them now! If not, I’m sure a store like BevMo would be a good resource- substitutions are always possible. Or, this list can serve as a starting point for new delicious pairs.

Beer

Chocolate

Notes

Because the tangerine is so strong, the chocolate accents the beer. Eat chocolate first and finish with a swig of beer. Really fantastic. Chocolate overpowering?

Lost Coast Brewery:

Great White

The Tea Room:

Red Rasberry Rubios Tea

Most interesting combo. Neither is spectacular individually, but together they are fantastic.

Anderson Valley Brewing Co:

Chau Tien Pale Ale

The Tea Room:

Milk Chocolate Bar infused with Honeybush Caramel Tea

Good combo. Surprising. Hoppiness of the beer and sweetness of the caramel infuse for a special treat, like southern sweet tea. Individually ok, but together spectacular. (*** Katie’s favorite)

Anderson Valley Brewing Co:

Oatmeal Stout

Theo:

Bread and Chocolate

Crunch of chocolate is fantastic. Both are just GOOD.

Mammoth Brewing Co:

Double Nut Brown

BT McElrath Chocolatier:

Salty Dog

So individually phenomenal, it’s hard to distinguish between the greatness of each and the combo of the two. Although not unique or surprising, perhaps one of the best tasting combos- they compliment eachother well

Murphy’s:

Irish Stout

Lake Champlain:

Dark Spicy Aztec

Beer compliments the chocolate, but chocolate doesn’t compliment the beer. Both individually fantastic, but together not the best pairing.

Young’s:

Luxury Double Chocolate and Stout

Divine:

70% Dark Chocolate

Simple, classic, amazing. Both are very good, no frills, just chocolate goodness. Great pair.

Note: the first 3 pairings are more surprising and unexpected- more exciting. The last 4 are less surprising, but very solidly delicious.